3 Reasons Leaders Tolerate Workplace Bullying, and How to Put an End to It

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room…workplace bullying. It’s more common than most leaders want to admit, and even worse, many managers are allowing it to happen, and it’s costing more than just a bad ‘culture reputation’.

According to the National Workplace Trends Study, 1 in 4 employees believe their workplace is toxic, and 38% of Gen Z workers report frequent conflict at work. Those aren’t just inconvenient statistics; they’re expensive ones! Toxic environments drive away your best people, tank morale, slow productivity, and sabotage retention. So why do leaders let this happen?

Here are 3 reasons leaders tolerate workplace bullying, and what you can do to shut it down.

 
1. They're Friends with the Bully

Many leaders turn a blind eye to bullying behavior because the person causing the drama is a buddy, a golf partner, or someone who’s "been here forever." But here’s the deal…tenure and trust don’t excuse toxicity.

57% of employees lose trust in leadership when fairness isn’t prioritized. That is the start of trust erosion.

👉 What to do about it:

• Train leaders to recognize that friendship doesn’t equal immunity. / In our Bud-2-Boss Emerging Leaders Program, we help new supervisors understand how to navigate managing people they used to be close friends with. 
• Create anonymous reporting tools so employees can speak up without fear of retaliation.
• Hold everyone accountable, no exceptions.
  
  

2. They’re Too Afraid to Confront It

There’s a saying, “Some people have a wishbone where their backbone ought to be.” Confronting a workplace bully requires backbone, and not every leader was trained with one.

Maybe the bully is high-performing. Maybe they’re louder than everyone else. Either way, avoidance isn’t leadership…it’s enabling, and if leaders can’t address conflict, you’ll lose good employees to companies that can.

👉 What to do about it:

• Offer conflict resolution training for all levels of leadership.
• Empower leaders to document behaviors and escalate concerns early.
• Set expectations that inaction has consequences.
  
  

3. They Don't Know It's Happening

Some leaders are so disconnected from their teams that they never spot the silent suffering happening right under their noses.

In fact, 53% of in-person workers don’t believe upper management understands what the workplace culture is actually like. 

👉 What to do about it:

• Host “Ask Me Anything” sessions and make them real, not rehearsed.
• Regularly check in with all employees, not just direct reports.
• Use engagement surveys and culture audits to uncover what’s really happening in your culture.
  
  

The Bottom Line

Workplace bullying doesn’t just damage egos; it breaks cultures. And when leaders allow it (whether intentionally or not), they sabotage retention, trust, and productivity.

The good news is, you can turn this around. When leaders model accountability, prioritize fairness, and create psychological safety, you build a culture where people want to work, grow, and stay, and that’s smart business.



Want to Stop Workplace Bullying for Good?

Destination Workplace™ helps organizations build courageous leaders and cultures where bad behavior gets benched, not rewarded. If you're ready to develop a leadership team that earns trust, not just titles, let’s talk.

Quick Tips to Eliminate Workplace Bullying:

• Create a zero-tolerance bullying policy with discipline (and leadership accountability).
• Train leaders in conflict resolution and tough conversations.
• Reward leaders for trust-building, not just results.
• Encourage employees to speak up with safe reporting tools.
• Audit your culture regularly. What you ignore will grow.

About Betsy:

Featured on FOX, CBS, NBC, and ABC, Betsy Allen-Manning is a high-energy leadership keynote speaker and workplace culture strategist who helps organizations develop stronger leaders, high performers, and build cultures where people stay, grow, and thrive. Through her national workplace research and The DNA Keynote Series, she delivers data-backed, high-interaction presentations powered by results-driven frameworks. Betsy is also the founder of Destination Workplace™, an award-winning leadership training company in Dallas, trusted by some of the world’s most elite brands nationwide.